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The Proposal
Stefan propsed to me on Mothers Day 1999. We had already been together for 5 years.

The Planning
We started planning in January 2006. All my family had come home from Australia for my Grandmothers unveiling and because I wanted them to be able to attend we set our date to work in with them being able to return for Christmas in 2007.

Bits We Did Ourselves
We had so much help from friends and family. I made the invitations myself. A close friend of ours came up with the ideas to decorate the Marae. We had family making the flax flowers to place on the tables to Uncles trying to think of ways to hang the fabric and lanterns up from the very high pitched ceiling.

Wedding Theme
Their was no theme for our wedding , but we tried to keep everything as simple as possible.

Ceremony and Reception
The ceremony was made special in a few ways. I was sung down the isle by my ex high school kapa haka tutors who were absolutely amazing. My Grandfather, who brought me up, walked me down the isle to my Aunty who was our marraige celebrant. But I think the most special moment was seeing my eldest son as one of the groomsmen and my youngest standing right next to his father waiting for me.

For the reception, we were given a traditional Maori Haka Powhiri by our family when we arrived at the Marae. I felt very honoured for our guests to have experienced it at our wedding as it would have been the first time for at least half of them.

Everything about our wedding day was special.....to us!! What may have seemed small and insignificant to someone else may have meant the world to us. My Grandmother passed away 4 years ago and she was a very special person in my life. At the end of our top table was a table specially set up with a waterfall and candles on it, along with a photo of my Grandmother and two Auntys that were also very dear to me. This was our way of acknowledging them that day.

The Dresses
I wore a strapless white/silver gown which had beading detail over the bodice. It wasn't over the top but simple and elegant which reflected my personality. My hair and make up was done by two close friends of mine. I didn't wear a veil but was given a paua hair clip to borrow for the day which was gorgeous. To finish off I carried a bouquet of dark green flax lily flowers which had white satin wrapped around the stems and a paua bead necklace on top of that.

The Bridesmaids wore simple strapless dresses in a pale green/blue shade made out of satin. They carried a boquet of dark green flax roses with the stems wrapped in the same material as their dresses.

The Cars
We were driven in 3 Holdens which were supplied by my Uncle who a member of a Holden club.

Most Romantic Moment
To be honest there was never just one romantic moment because even though we were surrounded by guests it felt as if we were the only two people standing there. Also the special stolen whispers to each other that no one else could hear were always beautiful.

Funniest Moment

At the end of the ceremony when we were announced Mr and Mrs Foster, the guests were told that they could now come up and the Groom would be more than happy to share his Bride for a kiss, to which Stefan turned around and very proudly said "I don't think so!"

Tradition
If anything we didn't follow tradition much at all. Right from the begining of our relationship we did everything backwards. We had children first, then we brought a house then we got married. So when we realised that the wedding cake was needed before we ate as it was apart of the dessert table we decided to cut the cake before the speeches started.

My Maori side was reflected in the boquets the bridemaids and I carried. Stefs Samoan side was reflected in the shirt him and our youngest son wore, which was a white long sleeve like the grooms men but it had a tapa cloth panel down one side. As well as this they all wore some coconut beads which we have used to hand around our wedding photos.

What we were most happy with

I think our best decision was deciding to actually et a date to get married and giving ourselves plenty of time to plan it. So often through out the year we got so excited we just wanted the day to hurry, but it was so worth it at the end. What would I change....not a thing! We have gone over that day so many times and realised that there was nothing we would change. I think we had alot of family smiling down on us that day and with our friends and family that came, they put the smiles on our faces and patied the night away with us into the wee hours of the morning.

The Honeymoon

We haven't been on our honeymoon yet as I used up all my leave to take a month off to get last minute stuff done for the wedding. However our plan is to take the kids and go the League Grand Final in Australia this year and visit family while we're there.

Advice for Future Married Couples

You know we have been together for just over 12 years now and married just over a month. I love him just as much now as I did before. To all those couples out there that are planning or are thinking about marriage, just remember that it is your day. You don't have to make everyone happy as long as it's what you both want. Also remember to take the time to sit back and enjoy the day, because it all goes by so quickly, nothing is worth worrying over, if something bad is going to happen then let it be, it can always be fixed.